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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656669">Freebird</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CielWritesShit/pseuds/CielWritesShit'>CielWritesShit</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This is what family means [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Heist With Markiplier (Web Series), SCP Foundation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - SCP Foundation, Escape, Gen, Illinois Deserved Better, Past Violence, depictions of injuries, winged Illinois</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:53:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,398</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CielWritesShit/pseuds/CielWritesShit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After two terrible years in the facility, Illinois is posed with a chance to escape. But that means he's got to run now. Will he get out in time? And if he does, what does the future hold? Who knows...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>This is what family means [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Freebird</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Alright, trigger warnings for this one: I do briefly mention a containment breach in the facility, but not in detail. There are mentions of pain and blood, but not enough to warrant the graphic depictions of violence tag. Right at the end there is a mention of being hit by a car, however there is not much detail on that.</p><p>This pic takes place at 2:37am on [redacted] for anyone who's paying attention to the time.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a breach.</p><p>A breach in the facility’s security.</p><p>That was the only explanation for what had happened. </p><p>Right when SCP-7834 was supposed to be heading back to its room, bones aching from being ‘tested’ all day, alarms had started blaring. Bright red emergency lights had started flashing. And suddenly, every guard was rushing around, almost forgetting it existed, and that it was also an SCP that wasn’t within their cell. Whatever had happened had been enough to jump everyone into action, it seemed.</p><p>“We need to go now! Leave your stations!” One voice had yelled, loud enough for Illinois to hear it. It was distinctly female, sounding like the one that would often be on guard on those cold, lonely nights.</p><p>“What about 7834? I need to get it back to its cell!” Another had shouted, this one much closer to Illinois. He was sure it was the only one that still had hold of him, but even that grip was weakening.</p><p>“It’s restrained, it can barely move on its own. We can leave it here, the others are more important, now GO!”</p><p>The guards had left it in that corridor, still in that stupid straight jacket, metal brace over its wings. It had watched as they’d run, hands braced on their guns, boots thumping against the concrete floors. The alarms continued to sound out, and Illinois dropped the dazed look now that there was no-one to see him there.</p><p>They’d left it alone in that corridor unsupervised.</p><p>They’d left him with a chance to escape for good.</p><p>He started running, not giving it a second thought. As fast as he could, down the hallways, twisting and turning as he went. He’d had 2 years to learn this building’s layout, and this would possibly be his only chance to take advantage of that time. 2 years of torture. 2 years of waiting for an opportunity like this, and he was going to take it. He had to make it out before everything was locked, before the shutters went down. And if he wasn’t fast enough… He knew the punishments would be bad. Dr Taylor would do something unforgivable. Something his brain wouldn’t be able to cope with. He might finally cut him from his wings. </p><p>He wouldn’t live through that.</p><p>Which was why he was getting out now, and he was never coming back here. They’d never be able to get him near this site again, not if he could make it outside. If everything went according to plan, they’d never even know he’d escaped until he was long gone.</p><p>Everyone was too focused on the breach, which was the best possible outcome for him.  He managed to get out into the courtyard by the time all of the metal shutters went down. </p><p>And he kept running. The gravel hurt, he hadn’t worn shoes since he’d gotten there. They hadn’t been given to him. Not necessary if he was within those walls forever.</p><p>It didn’t matter. He could take this pain. He just had to get away, as fast as he could.</p><p>He’d made it to the outer fence now. The guards hadn’t spotted him yet, he just had to get out now-</p><p>“Hey! STOP!”</p><p>Well, there went his chance of escaping. He started to turn around, the tears already forming in his eyes. This was where he was transported into a worse cell, to be tortured by Dr. Taylor until his heart gave out…</p><p>“Mister, there’s a lockdown on, why are you leaving?!”</p><p>Illinois froze. This guard hadn’t worked out he was an SCP. He couldn’t tell in the dark that Illinois wasn’t human. Good, he should keep it like that, he just needed to respond. Respond with a believable story that could get him out of the gates and onto the road.</p><p>“I was promised that was my last shift! I was supposed to be going home for a few months!” Well, that should sound believable. It was about time the guards switched again. He wished his voice was stronger, but maybe he could play it off if he was called on it. </p><p>“I’m sorry Sir, but there’s a lockdown, one of the SCPs got out and-” Oh, Illinois could play off the confusion. Just stay focused, and everything would be fine.</p><p>“I don’t care what escaped! I’ve been here for 2 years, I haven’t seen my family in all of that time! I have been waiting until this shift was over, so I can go home and see my daughter! I was going to make it home for her 5th birthday! Can you just let me leave?!” He could lie. Lie convincingly too. And if he kept it up, he could get out. As soon as he was out of the gates, he could start running, and he could get himself free. That’s assuming he didn’t get caught.</p><p>“Alright Sir, I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll cover for you this time. Go now, before someone else shows up. Have a safe trip.” The guard left him. And Illinois had never been so glad to see the back of someone. </p><p>He didn’t wait for the guard to come back. Or for anyone else to show up to stop him. He pushed open the side gate with his shoulder, and walked out calmly. He had to appear to be moving normally, just in case someone else saw him. He was so close to freedom. He looked up at the stars above him. They shone so brightly that night. Almost as if they were cheering him on. And he would take their cheers, using it to fuel his drive to escape.</p><p>The facility was getting further and further away with every step he took. He decided he could risk it now, and started to run. The gravel hurt his feet. He was sure he was bleeding by now. The metal brace was rubbing his back raw, and he had tears trying to fall. But he was making it. He was getting away tonight. As soon as he made it to a crossroad, he’d be fine. He just had to keep going.</p><p>He ended up in a heavy treeline, not realising he’d lost the road in the dark. He had no idea where he was, or which way he was going. But he had to keep going. He knew he had to keep going.</p><p>The ground gave way underneath him, and he ended up rolling down a grassy bank, narrowly avoiding every tree on the way down. He rolled for what could’ve only been a minute or so, but it felt like when he’d fallen to Earth, more than two years prior. When he finished rolling, he just led there, in the wet grass. He looked up at the sky, for the first time. </p><p>He’d done it.</p><p>He’d finally done it.</p><p>He was free.</p><p>He started laughing. Or was he crying? He couldn’t tell. Every emotion he’d kept bottled up for the past two years, he let it all go, as he led there, a smile on his face. He let it finally sink in. He was free. Free of that facility. Free of Dr. Taylor. Free of those tests. He could finally live out the rest of his existence.</p><p>He had no idea what he was doing. But he’d work that out in the morning. For now, he had to get up and get moving again. Which was easier said than done. His arms and wings were still restrained, and he still hurt from that day’s ‘testing’, but he somehow managed to push himself back onto his feet. And he started walking again. He made his way through the trees, his shoulders grazing against the bark roughly. Eventually, the trees started to thin out, and he found himself on another road, one that was different. This one was tarmac, not gravel, and occasionally a car went past, never stopping, but their headlights lit up the road. He started walking along the side of the road, staggering slightly as the pain caught up with him.</p><p>He hadn’t noticed the dizziness hit him.</p><p>Or the fact that he’d stumbled out into the middle of the road.</p><p>But he did notice the horn blaring at him, and the sudden brightness of headlights coming towards him.</p><p>There was a screech of brakes.</p><p>And that was when the truck had run into him.</p>
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